Rude shock: AIADMK cadres who started the day on an optimistic note found their hopes shattered

Chennai: Around 10 in the morning, equipped with party flags, crackers and sweets AIADMK cadres particularly women, thronged the Royapettah party headquarters’ in large numbers. They danced to the drum beats and offered special pooja for the party founder MGR’s statue, but as time passed a  pall of gloom descended on the party office and the women cadres started crying their eyes out at the party office and Poes garden, the former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa’s  residence.

“Nanga ellam inga thaan irukhom Amma ku oru manikku court theerpu udane kalambi vaanga”,

(We are all here, court verdict is at 1 pm rush immediately to party office) and this was the constant conversation of AIADMK workers M. Kanchana and Sarala Kumari, but after 3 pm, as the conviction news of their party supremo spread, the duo were sobbing along with other women cadres at the party office. In a related development, a section of AIADMK cadres also thronged the DMK president Karunanidhi’s residence and pelted stones, injuring a DMK worker, resulting in a clash between the cadres of Dravidian majors.

“Bangalorele needhi kedaikila aana Delhi le nidhi vellum, Amma naanga irrukiram"

(Justice denied in Bangalore, but justice will prevail in Delhi and we are there with you, Amma,” said K. Pandurangam, deputy secretary, Anna Thozirsanga Peravai, consoling the cadres. “Our party high command had asked us, not to celebrate the judgment, but they (AIADMK) cadres have turned their outburst against us. They marched with the help of police and threw stones at our party chief house injuring a DMK cadre R. Sridhar of Egmore and the police were silent spectators,” said a DMK division secretary Purushothaman of Egmore, who squatted along with his supporters slamming the police for simmering tension.

Meanwhile, the DMK also had hundreds of party men guarding its leader Karunanidhi’s residences at Gopalapuram and CIT colony. Peace was disturbed till 4 pm until the senior police officer and inspector general of police K. Shankar visited the troubled spots and negotiated peace between the AIADMK and the DMK cadres.